Bill Text: CT SB00856 | 2015 | General Assembly | Chaptered

---

Bill Title: An Act Concerning Language Interpreters In Hospitals.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2015-06-05 - Signed by the Governor [SB00856 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2015-SB00856-Chaptered.html

---

Senate Bill No. 856

Public Act No. 15-34

AN ACT CONCERNING LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS IN HOSPITALS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 19a-490i of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):

Each acute care hospital in this state shall:

(1) Develop and annually review a policy on the provision of interpreter services to non-English-speaking patients;

(2) Ensure [, to the extent possible,] the availability of interpreter services to patients whose primary language is spoken by a group comprising not less than five per cent of the population residing in the geographic area served by the hospital;

(3) Prepare and maintain a list of qualified interpreters;

(4) Notify hospital staff of the requirement to provide interpreters to non-English-speaking patients;

(5) Post multilingual notices of the availability of interpreters to non-English-speaking patients;

(6) Review standardized forms to determine the need for translation for use by non-English-speaking patients;

(7) Consider providing hospital staff with picture and phrase sheets for communication with non-English-speaking patients; and

(8) Establish liaisons to non-English-speaking communities in the geographic area served by the hospital.